Short but sweet...

Dear Family,

A wonderful sister, of the faith, let me know that sometimes less is more. What she made clear was that these blogs, though at times insightful, can be too long, and she grows bored with them when they exceed a certain length. The more i thought about what she had to say, the more i realized something. She is right. In our world of go, go, go, who has the time to sit down and read a blog that exceeds most term papers? No one. It is time for me, as the one supposedly in tune with society, to pay attention to what society has been telling me all along, and i was just too prideful to hear it.

The blogs, from now on, will be as short as i can make them. I will do my best to condense my ideas and revelations into a few paragraphs, hopefully inviting you all to add your stories, your thoughts, and your insights to what would have been my filibuster. To my church family, i hope the shorter blogs will invite you to read more and get involved more. To my sister who brought it to my attention, thank you.

That being said, i should get to the point of this weeks blog. It is about relationships. More specifically Isaac's relationships, whether it be with God, with Abimeleck, or with the other nomads trying to find a good water source. Genesis 26 is about what healthy relationships can and do look like, when we make them a priority.

First. Isaac continues the long tradition of listening to the will of God. God, in the beginning of this chapter, makes it clear that God would further the blessing He had promised Abraham. Isaac would add his name to the stars, but more than that Isaac could have the assurance that God would add many more stars to Isaac's heritage. Isaac accepts God's call as if it were second nature. Isaac just goes with the flow, trusting that God would provide, God would keep His promises, and God is seemingly more wise than Isaac or any of us. As i look at Isaac's faith, i stand humbled by my own unfaith. Isaac trusts God, completely, and i have a hard time relying on God for a few dollars. Teach me, LORD, to trust in you more.

Second. Isaac is not immune to failure. Just like Abe, Isaac finds himself married to a woman more beautiful than he deserved. He names Rebekah his sister, because Isaac feared the men would take her and kill him. He wanted to preserve his life, even if it meant he would have to give his wife up, just like his dad did. Luckily he gets caught loving his wife by King Abimeleck, and the king calls him on it. No harm done, except the lying part. What this teaches me is that even the most faithful and ardent believer finds himself or herself falling short when times are trying. Isaac isn't the model for me, because he is perfect. He is the model of faith because he is human. Just like me. Just like all of us.

And lastly, Isaac's relationship with the other nomads, i think, sheds a lot of light where Isaac's heart rests. When asked, by the king, to leave because Isaac had grown too powerful, Isaac does. When others fill up wells, which he dug, robbing Isaac and his household of water, a much needed commodity, Isaac just moves on. And when he finds a good well, and other nomads, those less than he, come to fight for it, Isaac just moves, period. Isaac chooses to give up an incredible asset to preserve the integrity of the relationship. Isaac, even though he was incredibly powerful and wealthy, chose peace over violence. He chose to move instead of fighting for a piece of material wealth. He risked his very well-being to keep from harming anyone.

What this teaches me is that maybe, just maybe, we, too, could just move on instead of fighting for something material and temporal. What would happen if we, like Isaac, chose peace instead of fighting, love instead of hate, and building up instead of tearing down? What would our world look like?

Oh yeah, one more thing that proves Isaac is a man of God, an incredible man of God. When Abimilech comes to sign a peace treaty/oath, Isaac feeds him and accepts his treaty. The king kicked Isaac out, when Isaac was powerful and wealthy, and the king forced Isaac to journey for water into areas not that welcoming to him. Isaac had all the reason to say no. But he doesn't. He agrees. More than that, he invites the king in and cares for him. What does this teach us about being right versus living right? Some questions i hope together we can answer. Amen.

Shalom,
jerry